# Prepare a startup file pack for an investor’s AI Canonical: https://opendataroom.com/guides/startup-investor-file-pack Updated: 2026-10-17 Start with the question the investor needs to answer, then share the smallest useful evidence pack. A pitch deck, selected supporting figures and a dated assumptions note can be more useful than an unstructured archive. The recipient chooses their AI and the analysis they want to run. ## How OpenDataRoom helps Market: Funded startups raising Series A or later The founder prepares the evidence once for the intended review and can respond to requests with a clearer source trail. Keep source documents organised in drops, like folders, and select named packs for each audience. OpenDataRoom manages access and request records; the recipient uses their own AI for analysis. Current AI tools return extracted text, not complete original files. - [Reusable private packs](/guides/control-data-access-ai): Keep the selected documents together for repeat questions and later reviews, within the displayed retention period. - [Source access for your AI](/guides/ai-document-connection): Let a compatible AI list, search and read the supplied text. Ask it to cite the file and passage so you can check the answer. - [MCP request ledger](/guides/mcp-request-ledger): Review requests received through an authorised connection and what the service prepared, without claiming visibility into the full conversation. ### Example Fictional example: Cedar Studio describes 120 accounts as active at quarter end. ### Workflow impact The founder prepares the evidence once for the intended review and can respond to requests with a clearer source trail. ### Bring these documents - Series A deck.pdf - Customer metric definitions.xlsx - Diligence questions.docx ### Prompt for your own compatible AI Using only this approved pack, the founder prepares the evidence once for the intended review and can respond to requests with a clearer source trail. Start with this source question: Are all 120 active accounts paying customers? Cite the file and passage. Distinguish supplied facts, assumptions, missing evidence and contrary evidence. Do not infer human reading or investment intent from request records. Check the sources and the receiving AI app before using the pack for the real assignment. ## Frequently asked questions ### What would this change in my workflow? The founder prepares the evidence once for the intended review and can respond to requests with a clearer source trail. The practical task is to the founder prepares the evidence once for the intended review and can respond to requests with a clearer source trail. ### Which documents should I include? For the example on this page, start with Series A deck.pdf, Customer metric definitions.xlsx, Diligence questions.docx. Use the approved versions relevant to the task and include source dates, definitions and any known gaps. Review the prepared text and disclosure scope before sharing. The fictional examples illustrate the structure; OpenDataRoom does not supply or verify your underlying research. ### Can the ledger tell me whether an investor intends to proceed? It can show the tool requests received through an authorised connection, the source references requested and the response preparation outcomes. Those records can inform a useful clarification or follow-up. They do not prove that the investor personally read a result, that an AI relied on it, or that an investment decision was made. An AI app may issue several requests automatically. ### How does the recipient connect, and who gets access? Choose your own AI or invite the intended email recipient. For a private invitation, the recipient verifies the authorised email and completes the required approval flow, then adds the connection in a compatible AI app’s settings. Forwarding an invitation alone does not authorise a different email. Permission covers the selected pack; create separate packs when audiences may see different documents. ### Can I keep the files and end someone’s access? Your wallet contains source drops, like folders. Each named pack shares selected files or passages from one drop. The source drop and its access packs have separate deadlines. You can keep the source until its displayed retention deadline while ending a recipient’s future access. Choose a sharing window, revoke it earlier when needed, and approve an extension deliberately. Expiry cannot recall material that an AI app or recipient has already retrieved. ### What happens when I update or remove a file? After you review and accept a drop update, fresh authorised requests receive the current versions of files already selected for their packs. This does not force an AI to fetch the files again or refresh its existing chat context. New files do not join those packs automatically. Review changed selected passages explicitly. Removing a file or its permission stops future retrieval, and access-change notices are queued for affected recipients. Provider acceptance is not proof of inbox delivery. This cannot erase content already retrieved. ### What if my files or AI app are not supported? Check the compatibility guide and try the public service-information sample first. An app must support the required MCP connection and authorisation; pasting a URL into ordinary chat does not install it. Use supported text-based files and inspect the preparation report. Originals are retained in encrypted storage, but the current AI tools return extracted text, not complete original files. Charts, images and layout are not faithfully delivered by those tools. Image-only scans and standalone images are refused; no OCR, audio transcription or spreadsheet recalculation is provided. Current pilot limits are listed on the pricing page. ### What information is recorded about use of the pack? The ledger records requests received by the service, authorised connection references, requested source information and preparation outcomes. Recipients can also deliberately submit a request, comment or note after approving the exact text. The owner sees that message, the verified connection identity and time in Recipient inbox for up to 90 days, unless deleted sooner. Received does not mean read or answered; no agent or automatic research is started. It does not record the entire AI conversation. Search text is supplied by the AI and may differ from the human question. An AI can reuse retrieved material without making another request. Literal search can miss relevant material; neither a search nor a file request proves that the AI reviewed the entire pack. Owners can investigate no-match searches before deciding whether to clarify wording, repair extraction or add information. A no-match result alone is not proof that a document is missing. ### Who can read my files in the hosted connection? Private-library file names and contents are encrypted in the browser with your wallet key. A hosted AI connection uses a separate access copy that you approve and that the service can decrypt for authorised retrieval. The receiving AI gets the content it retrieves and applies its own data policies. An optional desktop connector can decrypt locally, but it requires installation and is not a universal mobile connection. Review the security and compatibility pages before choosing a route. ## Before you share 1. Match the pack to the fundraising stage 2. Date the deck and supporting figures 3. State assumptions beside the calculations 4. Choose recipients and an access deadline 5. Keep confidential diligence separate ## Fictional example documents These are invented teaching documents, not customer evidence. ### Series A deck.pdf Fictional Cedar Studio describes 120 accounts as active at quarter end. ### Customer metric definitions.xlsx Illustrative definitions: 90 paying accounts plus 30 free trials. The figures are supplied example values, not recalculated formulas. ### Diligence questions.docx Open issue: the deck does not distinguish paying accounts from trials. Retention cohorts and signed customer references are absent. ## A source question Are all 120 active accounts paying customers? Illustrative answer: No. The example defines 90 paying accounts and 30 free trials. Keep the distinction in the review and request retention cohorts before drawing a growth conclusion. ## Separate the introduction from diligence An initial conversation and a formal diligence process need different material. Keep personal records, confidential contracts and sensitive cap-table detail outside an introductory pack unless they are needed and authorised. There is no universal list every investor needs at every stage. ## Make the deck checkable For an illustrative market-sizing review, include the source behind your customer count, the geography, pricing assumptions and time period. Label TAM, SAM and SOM consistently. For a team discussion, include the relevant founder experience only when useful to that recipient. These are examples, not mandatory investor requirements. ## Give the recipient useful questions Try: “Which assumptions determine the obtainable market?” or “Which claims in this deck need stronger evidence?” Keep facts, estimates and scenarios distinct. OpenDataRoom supplies access to your files; it does not validate a forecast or produce investment advice. ## Read activity without over-interpreting it A search for TAM or a request for founder background is a server-visible event. It is not proof of investment intent, a personal reading session or a decision. AI tools can request content automatically. A request ledger and page-by-page pitch-deck viewing analytics measure different things. ## Keep the handover proportionate The service provides a private library and time-limited hosted MCP copies. It is not a complete transaction VDR. It does not provide investor CRM, NDA execution, electronic signatures or regulatory archiving. Verify the recipient’s AI environment before sharing sensitive business information. ## Sources and further reading - [a16z: what to include before you raise](https://a16z.com/the-insiders-guide-to-data-rooms-what-to-know-before-you-raise/): Further reading; review the source in its own context. ## Related workflows - https://opendataroom.com/guides/pitch-deck-tracking-mcp - https://opendataroom.com/guides/fund-update-ai - https://opendataroom.com/guides/control-data-access-ai Admission is by invitation. Join the waiting list: https://opendataroom.com/signup Check compatibility and the separate public service-information sample: https://opendataroom.com/compatibility ## Try the fictional example https://opendataroom.com/example-demo.html?example=series-a-diligence-pack